Agriland survey: Do you support farmer-led protests in Europe?

Farmers have blocked major roads outside of Paris with tractors and access to Toulouse-Blagnac airport in France today (Tuesday, January 30) as farmer-led protests continue over “unfair prices, costs and unfair competition”.

Bales of hay, manure and tyres were set on fire on roads approaching Toulouse airport earlier as large groups of farmers continued to gather to support the protests.

Toulouse airport warned passengers using the airport that because of a “demonstration by farmers, blockages are expected on road access to the airport”.

According to the president of the National Federation of Agricultural Operators’ Unions (FNSEA), farmers are protesting to highlight what he has repeatedly described as the “crisis” now facing French agriculture.

Arnaud Rousseau, president of FNSEA, has said that French farmers are mobilising to demand “structural change” and the organisation has demanded that the government addresses key issues for farmers including the threat that imports pose to French food.

According to FNSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs (Young Farmers) there are three key priority areas for the French government to address:

The dignity of farmers;
Fair remuneration;
The agriculture model including production and food sovereignty.

They have urged the French government to send a strong signal to farmers and that “change is urgent” if France wishes to “maintain farming”.

Last week the French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced “a series of measures to help the agricultural world”.

He said these included “emergency solutions to deal with the most pressing needs, but also developments to simplify the lives of farmers and defend their income”.

However the move by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has failed to dampen the protests in France which have even attracted support from French taxi drivers.

Meanwhile, farmers across Europe have been urged not to “abandon” the European Commission’s Green Deal despite the fact that thousands have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest in France, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany.

According to the European Federation of Trade Unions in the Food, Agriculture, and Tourism (EFFAT) although it shares some of the concerns expressed by farmers, it has insisted that the way forward is “not to abandon the Green Deal”.

It said: “It must be clear that the main challenge facing the European agricultural sector is not the Farm to Fork Strategy, but the unfair distribution of wealth throughout the food chain.

“While retail chains, big agrochemical companies and the shareholders of food giants make record profits every year, agricultural and food workers and small farmers struggle to put food on their tables”.